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Marquette University sits about 11,550 students ten blocks west of downtown Milwaukee, on a campus that runs along Wisconsin Avenue and bleeds into the city. You're in a real metro here, not a college town: the Milwaukee River, Lake Michigan, and the museum district are all close, and downtown venues are a walk east. Campus life centers on the Alumni Memorial Union, where students study, eat, and hang out. Basketball is the religion. When the Golden Eagles play at Fiserv Forum, the student section turns weeknights into statement wins. Most students walk or bike, since campus is compact and flat, and summer festivals along the lakefront give the place a big-city rhythm.
Marquette requires first and second year students to live in university residence halls. Plan on two years of on-campus living as the default. Most students move off campus as juniors.
Exemptions go to students living with a parent or guardian within 35 miles of campus, anyone 21 or older, and students who have been out of high school two or more years. Apply for the exemption rather than assuming you qualify. After the live-on years, students move into the apartments and two-flats just west and south of the academic core.
Marquette runs its own neighborhood leasing process for university-managed apartments, and the surrounding private market works the way most big-city rentals do: landlords usually run a credit and income check, and you will often need a guarantor if you do not have your own income. Watch the lease term closely, since many student leases run a full twelve months even though you are really only on campus nine. Read the utility clause too, since some older buildings split heat and water in ways that surprise first-time renters.
Housing policies change frequently. Always verify current requirements directly with Marquette University before signing a lease.
Milwaukee's student leasing cycle starts early. Many neighborhood landlords begin signing leases around Labor Day for places that do not open up until the following summer, and Marquette's own university apartment process kicks off in October. If you want a specific building or a four-bedroom with friends, plan to lock it in over the fall semester. The best-located places near campus go first, so organizing your group early pays off.
Marquette's university apartment process lands deposits and selection in late October and early November, and neighborhood landlords sign through the fall. That fall stretch is when the best-located places near campus go. Lock in your building or four-bedroom over the fall semester if location matters. Classes start in late August, so committing months ahead keeps you ahead of the competition.
This is not a market where you are shut out if you are late. Neighborhood landlords often still have studios through four-bedrooms open as late as June, just two months before fall classes start in late August. Spring is your fallback window, and summer subleases turn over constantly since so many students leave for internships. If you are transferring in or deciding late, check the university off-campus listings and sublease boards through the summer.
Wraps the campus itself, the default for students who want to walk to class and live in the thick of it.
Just east toward downtown, mixing apartments and lofts with a quick walk to venues and the river.
A bit farther out, a denser, livelier rental neighborhood popular with the broader Milwaukee college crowd.
Common questions from students searching for housing.
A shared room or by-the-bed spot in the neighborhoods around campus usually runs $600-$950/month per person. Older two-flats and shared houses in Avenues West land at the lower end, while newer downtown and Westown buildings sit higher. Budget another $40-$120/month for utilities, depending on whether heat and water are included.
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